Nra Loses Fight But Dodges Bullet

January 16, 1991|The Morning Call

The National Rifle Association doesn't often lose court fights or legislative battles. This has encouraged the hardline NRA members controlling the organization to attack zealously any public policies regulating gun ownership as contrary to their perceived Second Amendment right to bear arms.

This week the NRA lost a fight. The Supreme Court refused without comment to hear an appeal by an NRA-backed gun collector challenging a 1986 law barring the sale and possession of machine guns not legally owned prior to May 19, 1986. Although the NRA had hoped to use the case to resolve Second Amendment issues, the Bush administration argued that the appeal lacked constitutional merit.

While the court ducked a chance to clarify the limits of the Second Amendment, the NRA in losing actually dodged a bullet. The association's hardliners ought to take this as an indication that their zeal is turning public opinion against them. The court probably did the association a favor by rejecting the case.

After all, who benefits from allowing the ownership of machine guns? A handful of gun collectors, that's who. That is not a significant segment of the population to favor when the increasing numbers of murders are being committed with firearms of all kinds. At least seven law enforcement agencies joined the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence in opposing the appeal. Their bottom line argument was that it is better to ban machine guns for the public good than allow their controlled ownership by a few.

Rather than predictably opposing every gun control measure that comes along, ignoring the growing carnage and the need to do something about it, the NRA should change its posture. Since its founding the organization has played a positive role instructing both citizens and law enforcers in the safe handling of firearms. But in the past decade, NRA moderates have been pushed into the shadows while the organization's more strident wing has played an obstructionist role in the gun control debate. This is regrettable because the association has the expertise to be an effective participant in efforts to craft effective gun control legislation that also protects the rights of sportsmen and women to their weapons.

Perhaps the Supreme Court's ruling upholding the machine gun ban will wake up the NRA. Someday the court may make the definitive decision on the Second Amendment. Unless the NRA becomes more constructive in the debate the association might not dodge the court's next shot.